Bear's Gold (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) Read Online Free Page A

gap between them.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked when she
was three steps above him, finally on eye level with him. His voice was so deep
it almost seemed to rumble, filling the house and making her insides quake.
    For a moment, she thought she
noticed his breathing pick up, but then it was gone and the rise and fall of
his chest appeared normal. As she stared into his eyes, she tried to locate a
hint of brown, even the outer ring, but only saw soulful onyx eyes staring back
at her. The tremors she experienced earlier were starting again. “No. I stopped
shortly before crossing the California border and had dinner.”
    He nodded and turned abruptly and
walked away.
    She had no other choice but to
follow him. He walked past the door to her room, his bare feet slightly moving
across the hardwood flooring; unlike her own that slapped loudly behind him.
Embarrassed she started to tiptoe.
    How did such a big man move so
quiet? she wondered.
    “I still have to pick up a few items
from town tomorrow for my winter stock, but for the most part anything you need
you should be able to find in the refrigerator or the pantry.” He pointed to a
door on the other side of the stove.
    One thing she noticed was that for
such a primitive living, sans cell phones and internet connection, his kitchen
was premium. Dark cherry wood cabinets, granite countertops, and a flat range
stove. Every amenity and appliance was in the kitchen: microwave, high quality
blender, single cup coffee maker and even a bread maker. The kitchen was large
enough to have a six person table at the other end made in the same wood as the
cabinets.
    “Wow, this kitchen is amazing.” She
kept turning in circles in the middle of it. Cooking may have been something
she enjoyed doing, but she’d never even thought about making bread from
scratch. “Do you use all of these appliances or are they just for show?” She
looked over her shoulder as she joked with him.
    He was leaning against the door
frame leading to what she would guess was the laundry room. “Most men in Den
cook well. We all have pretty hearty appetites. If you stayed around for the
festival during this week you’d see for yourself.”
    She wasn’t sure if that was an
invitation or not. Choosing not to respond to it, she walked toward him. “Is
the washer and dryer in there?”
    Stepping aside, he turned on the
light and allowed her to enter. She noticed that the area also doubled as a
place where the family kept their shoes and coats. Evidently, they used the
back door instead of the front. There was a window in the door, but there wasn’t
an ounce of light in the back to allow her to see what was back there. It just
reflected her and the man beside her, who seemed to fill up most of the small
room.
    “You can put your clothes in it now
and if you use the cold delicate, you can wash your jacket too.”
    “It won’t make too much noise?” She
always used the laundry facilities in her apartments and her friend that she
stayed with after that had an older model washer that was too loud to run after
a certain time at night.
    “Not at all.”
    Placing her clothes inside, she
adjusted the temperature and added the detergent to it. Once it started, she
faced him. He hadn’t moved from his position at the door. His gaze was intense
as he stared at her as if he were looking into her soul. The look made her
heart rate kick up. It began to beat faster, as if she had just run the woods
again.
    Now that she no longer had her muddy
clothes in her arms, there was nothing to distract her from the scent of him. For
a moment, his smell reminded her of the mud that had clung to her clothing;
damp soil after a fresh rain. She was unable to keep herself from inhaling
deeply like he had become the keeper of her air and she needed it. It was then
that she realized that there was a difference to his essence than just dirt.
Theo’s scent was earthy, no doubt about that, but it made her think of being
wild and free and